Chase the Stars
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: Amber spends time sharing her love of astronomy with Calista one evening after the younger girl has a particularly hard day at Hexley Hall. (Part of the Beyond Enchancia Series. Takes place over two years after the show's ending.)


Chase the Stars

Summary: Amber spends time sharing her love of astronomy with Calista one evening after the younger girl has a particularly hard day at Hexley Hall. (Part of the Beyond Enchancia Series. Takes place over two years after the show's ending.)

Disclaimer: I don't own _Sofia the First_.

A/N: Time for a different sort of bonding time. 😊 Also, this is the final 'normal' story in this series; the rest of the stories will build up to the finale. :D Enjoy!

Note: You'll notice that Calista has started calling Cordelia 'Mum' instead of 'Mummy' in here. Our girl is growing up! 😉 Of course, she'll revert to 'Mummy' every now and then, even as she ages. 😊 Also, like Royal Detective, I agree that one day, Calista will be Amber's Royal Sorceress. That's a total head-canon for me at this point! Haha 😊

*Fifteenth Story/Episode 15*

"Calista?" Cordelia knocked softly on her daughter's door one evening, hearing nothing inside to indicate that the girl was even there. When she received no response after another knock and inquiry, she simply opened the door and walked inside. She raised her eyebrows as she found her daughter lying backwards on her bed, her legs spanning upward against the headboard. "Darling, are you all right?"

"You know what I hate most about school?" the girl asked, ignoring her mother's previous question. She turned her head and sighed. "Self-righteous girls with names that sound too prestigious."

Cordelia smiled knowingly and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to the young sorceress. "This 'prestigious' girl wouldn't happen to be Cybil Marie, hmm?" Hearing an exasperated groan from Calista, she chuckled. "Thought so. I told you before, Calista: petty girls aren't worth your frustration. One of these days, you'll far surpass Cybil Marie in everything: from status to wealth to relationships…" She grinned at the young girl's blush at the final mentioning. "Speaking of which, I've missed seeing your little friend Angel recently. Where is he?"

"Mum, I don't want to talk about that. He's been busy anyway." She sighed heavily and hugged a pillow to herself. "Besides, I just need a solution to dealing with Cybil Marie effectively enough to make it through graduation. That's all."

"Wonderful. You've only got several years to go." Cordelia smirked as her daughter groaned loudly again and placed the pillow over her head instead. "I could speak to her mother, if you'd like. Wilhelmina and I go way back."

Calista lowered the pillow and offered her mother a desperate stare. "Mum, _please_ don't do that. It's bad enough dealing with her egotistical attitude. To have my mum fight my battles for me? That's even more pathetic, and more fuel for her fire."

"Very well. I'm not sure what sort of advice you're looking for then."

The girl shrugged haphazardly, shifting around on the bed a bit. "I wasn't actually looking for any at all, but I appreciate your concern…"

"Well, I'm here if you need me. I'm going with your Uncle Ceddy to see an old friend for a few hours; we'll be back late. Will you be all right here?"

Calista nodded. "I'll be fine. There are like a hundred other people here anyway." She giggled a bit as her mother kissed her forehead.

"Be good, Angel Face. See you in a while." She smiled gently before leaving, shutting the door behind her.

The young sorceress huffed in aggravation and did a backflip onto the floor, brushing her Hexley Hall robes out. "I just need a distraction from that despicable, bratty, obnoxious, royal wannabe…" She frowned. "Maybe a walk will do me some good…" With that thought in mind, she left her room.

* * *

Amber was positioned outside the castle, a smaller telescope situated on the steps as she sat, peering through the glass at the stars in the sky. While she was fully focused on her schooling at Ever Realm Academy, she still found time to indulge in one of her favorite pastimes: astronomy. In fact, had she not been slated to be the queen, she figured _this_ would have been her pathway of choice in life. Still, no one would ever discourage her from learning more about the world around her, and for that she really was grateful.

She turned when she heard the door open behind her, and a smile formed on her face as she saw Calista exiting. "Hey, Calista. It's late. What are you doing out here?"

Calista blinked at the teenager before smiling sheepishly. "I was just…taking a walk. Trying to clear my head, I guess."

"I know the feeling." She observed the younger girl's features and hummed thoughtfully. "You've got a lot on your mind too, huh?"

The young sorceress sighed heavily. "Is it really _that_ obvious?" She tugged at her sleeves before shaking her head. "First my mum noticed, and then several of the castle workers tried to see if I was okay, and now you. Not that I don't appreciate it, but…"

"It can get annoying. I know." She patted the step next to her, a gentle smile on her face. "Come sit with me for a while. The stars are really clear tonight. It may help take your mind off some things."

"Um…sure." Calista usually spent her time with her mother, Cedric, or Sofia. A few times she'd hung around with James. And apart from the castle dwellers, she spent the rest of her time with Angel. Amber was usually either with Desmond or Sofia, or off on her own, or shadowing her father… It was rare that she had much of an interaction with the soon-to-be queen. She moved closer and sat down next to Amber.

"Here, take a look." Amber turned the telescope a bit so that Calista could access it better. She pointed toward a cluster of stars. "Do you see those stars? They make up a constellation called Unicornicus. And the star glimmering at the tip of its horn is actually _my_ star: Amberina Major."

Calista giggled a bit as she observed the constellation. "I've heard you mention the star a few times. I wasn't aware it was part of a constellation though." She moved back and looked toward the princess curiously. "May I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Amber carefully turned the telescope to the side and adjusted herself on the steps to face the younger girl. "What is it?"

"Have you…?" She paused, trying to determine how she should ask this question. Normally she'd reserve it for Sofia, but Sofia was currently asleep (she'd apparently not been getting much rest recently, so she'd forced herself to turn in early), and as selfish as it sounded, she wanted some advice _now_ …and from a non-adult. "Have you ever had to deal with someone who could basically be called a school bully?"

"A bully, huh?" Amber tapped her fingers against her leg as she considered the question. "That term is so…broad. I mean, I've dealt with people who've been unpleasant and had bad days at school, including one of my own friends, but I wouldn't really call any of them a bully." She then smiled sheepishly. "To be honest, Calista… Back when I was a younger girl, some people might have called _me_ a bully."

Calista's eyes widened a bit. "You? I've never seen you be mean to anyone."

The blonde laughed. "Wow, that means I really _have_ changed a lot." She shrugged. "I was a brat when I was a kid. I was really mean to Sofia when she first came to the castle."

The young girl's mouth dropped. "You two are really close, like best friends! I can't imagine you being mean to her."

"Well, it happened, unfortunately. Even James called me out on it. Oh, I was awful to her, Calista." She counted off on her fingers. "I talked bad about her to my friends, I gave her the cold shoulder, I was really jealous of her for getting the Amulet of Avalor, I tried to sabotage her… I wasn't a very good person, Calista."

"Huh… I never would have guessed that." She frowned. "So what changed?"

" _I_ did. And most of it was _because_ of Sofia. I had to learn to put others before myself and realize that the world didn't revolve around me." She smiled thoughtfully as she looked back toward the dark skies. "I guess that makes my love of astronomy even more appropriate." After watching the stars for a few moments, she turned back to Calista. "So who's bullying you, exactly?"

"Her name is Cybil Marie. And it's not just me. She does it to all of my friends, and sometimes even her own. She's an awful girl with a very high opinion of herself, and she likes to put others down."

"See, she sounds very insecure to me." She folded her arms over her legs. "Most insecure people do that anyway. They'll build themselves up while tearing others down. It's a defense tactic, unfortunately. You'll usually find that there's something they don't like about themselves when they treat you like that."

"And what's the best way to handle a bully?"

"If you were asking the old Amber, I'd tell you to bite back with the insults."

Calista laughed uncertainly. "I'm not sure my professors would like that very much…"

"I'm sure they won't. The _new_ me encourages you to be better than that. Ignore what she says. And if it gets out of hand, you need to report it to the headmaster. And…" She smiled softly. "I can even give you the same advice Sofia would: kill her with kindness."

"I don't think my mum would be thrilled with the idea of me killing _anyone_ , Amber." She grinned as the blonde laughed. "Even kindly."

"You know what I mean. Treat her better and nicer than she deserves. You'll confuse her, and she'll be stunned into silence. Sweet, sweet silence." She grinned.

"I suppose it's worth a try." Calista nodded happily. "Thank you, Amber. You're just as good at giving advice as Sofia is."

Amber smiled sincerely. "That actually means a lot to me, so thanks, Calista."

"You're quite welcome." The mini sorceress stood up, brushing out her robes. "I suppose I'll head to bed now. I'll leave you to your star searching."

"I encourage you to do one more thing, Calista." Seeing that she had the younger girl's attention, Amber continued, "Chase the stars."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. I know they seem far away, but if you keep your mind clear and focused, you'll reach them eventually. Same with this Cybil Marie girl. It may seem impossible to overcome her attitude right now, but eventually, like me, she'll have to grow up and be a respectable human being."

"And if she doesn't?"

Amber smiled and shrugged. "At least you can say you gave it a try. At that point, the rest will be up to her."

Calista nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Amber." She smiled as she turned. "Good night." She walked back into the castle, feeling much better after her chat with the princess.

The future queen hummed once more as she turned to face the twinkling stars. "Chase the stars…" She smiled and pulled the telescope back toward herself. "Don't mind if I do." With that, she resumed her late-night observing, allowing herself to get carried away once more by the endless expanse of the universe before her.

The end

(Next Story/Episode 16: Mother, May I?)


End file.
